Background

The Pale Mantis is a sect dedicated to murder. In their philosophy, death is a cosmic force and the continued order of the universe requires that some creatures die so that others might live.

Dressed in bone colors and often painting their skin white, their weapons and methods of killing emulate those of the mantis, wielding dual saw-toothed sabers in a slowly swaying stance and making lighting-quick dual strikes. Pale mantis assassins strike mercilessly to eliminate their targets—and preferably only their targets. They strive to avoid general mayhem and look down on missions of larceny, but have been known to perform murder for pay or to open up a position for an ally to inherit. But these murders are not the holiest deaths. The pale mantis claims to have a certain quota of death to fill in order to support the universal order, assassinations that follow a strict divine mandate. The reason for these holiest of deaths follow a divine order beyond mortal comprehension and can appear random to outsiders.

While not on sacred missions pale mantis often live in seclusion, seeking to make themselves perfect agents of death, emulating their namesake the pale mantis. Being universal killers, the mantis strikes all kinds of prey without discrimination, bringing order to chaos by perfecting the art of death.

The Pale Mantis cult also sponsors another prestige archetype, the death slayer.

Laws of Death

The pale mantis assassins have certain rules they adhere to, upholding the laws of death. They will never knowingly accept a contract breaking the laws of death, and may turn on a client that tried to trick them into doing so.

Never strike the captain of a ship, the ruler of a country, or the pathfinder of a caravan. People left leaderless are an invitation to chaos.

Do not kill children or obliterate an entire family. A gardener prunes, to destroy is to leave room for chaos to grow.

These laws apply to marks, but less so to general combat; not even the pale assassins bother to learn the pedigree of every guard they kill.

Pale Mantis Assassins on Porphyra

The god Shankhil is venerated across Porphyra as the god of gates and passage. She is also the main psychopomp deity, and has an uniquely neutral position; everybody and everything dies in time. Deist or elementalist, living or undead, intelligent, animal, or mindless matters not. Death is absolute and claims all equally.

One sect of the church that is unknown even to most of the faith is the Pale Mantis, who worship Shankhil as the master of deadly necessity. Just as some births are special and contribute to the order of the world, some lives must be ended at specific times for the system of the world to run smoothly. The task of the pale mantis is to find and execute these key persons while disturbing the world as little as possible.

The master of the Pale Mantis reside in a bone temple in the city of Da'mulus, in New Watis. From there she sends her agents all over the world according to a pattern Shankhil alone knows.
Shankhil is a mysterious god, and rarely gives clear signs to his worshippers, including the Pale Mantis, who are supposed to find the ones they are to slay through subtle clues. Over time, the sect has come to rely on one of Shankhil's symbols, the coin, to find their victims; provide the assassins with enough coin, and they will take it as a sign of divine will.

Class Information

Alignment:
A pale mantis assassin’s alignment must be within one step of her deity’s, along either the law/chaos axis or the good/evil axis. Mantis assassins generally serve a lawful neutral or lawful evil god of necessity and death. Most gravitate towards evil alignments. Pale mantis assassins of good alignment are possible, but extremely rare as murder for pay is an inherently evil act.

Hit Die:
d8.

Starting Wealth:
4d6 × 10 gp (average 140 gp.)
In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Features

These are all the class features of the pale mantis assassin.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Pale mantis assassins are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, sap, sawtooth saber, shortbow, and short sword. They are proficient with light armor but not with any shields.
A pale mantis assassin can cast spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a pale mantis assassin wearing medium or heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass pale mantis assassin still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Saber Finesse (Ex)

At 1st level, the pale mantis assassin treats sawtooth sabers sized for her as light weapons for all purposes and gains the use of the Weapon Finesse feat with sawtooth sabers only. She can use this ability to substitute for Weapon Finesse as a prerequisite, but she can only use abilities learned this way with Sawtooth Sabers.

Sneak Attack (Ex)

If a pale mantis assassin can catch an opponent when she is unable to defend herself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.

The pale mantis assassin’s attack deals extra damage anytime her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the pale mantis assassin flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every 2 pale mantis assassin levels thereafter. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. This additional damage is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit.

With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (such as a sap, unarmed strike, or whip), a pale mantis assassin can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack—not even with the usual –4 penalty.

The pale mantis assassin must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A pale mantis assassin cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with total concealment.

This stacks with similar damage bonuses gained from other classes.

Studied Target (Ex)

A pale mantis assassin can study an opponent she can see as a move action. The pale mantis assassin then gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks attempted against that opponent, and a +1 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against it. The save DCs of pale mantis assassin spells increase by 1 for that opponent. A pale mantis assassin can only maintain these bonuses against one opponent at a time; these bonuses remain in effect until either the opponent is dead or the pale mantis assassin studies a new target.

If a pale mantis assassin deals sneak attack damage to a target, she can study that target as an immediate action, allowing her to apply her studied target bonuses against that target (including to the normal weapon damage roll).

At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels, the bonuses on weapon attack rolls, damage rolls, and skill checks and to pale mantis assassin save DCs against a studied target increase by 1. In addition, at each such interval, the pale mantis assassin is able to maintain these bonuses against an additional studied target at the same time. The pale mantis assassin may discard this connection to a studied target as a free action, allowing her to study another target in its place.

At 7th level, a pale mantis assassin can study an opponent as a move or swift action.

Study Mark (Ex)

At 2nd level, when a pale assassin is given a target to assassinate, that target (a single individual creature) always counts as a studied enemy. This is in addition to the studied enemies a pale mantis assassin can normally have. If a pale mantis assassin has not been assigned a mark by her superiors, she can choose her mark for the day when she begins her adventuring day. She must be able to uniquely identify her mark, but need not know the name.

Style Feats

At 2nd level the pale mantis assassin gains additional ability with the order's signature sawtooth saber. She gains bonus feats at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. She can learn feats from this list even if she does not have the normal prerequisites.

The benefits of the pale mantis assassin’s style feats apply only to sawtooth sabers and only when she wears light or no armor. She loses all benefits of these bonus feats when wearing medium or heavy armor.

The character can choose from the following list whenever she gains a saber finesse feat:
Double Slice,
Quick Draw,
Slashing Grace,
Two-Weapon Fighting,
Weapon Finesse.

Keen Pool (Ex)

At 3rd level, a pale mantis assassin gains a pool of keen points, a measure of her preparedness and motivation. The number of points in a pale mantis assassin’s keen pool is equal to half her class level plus her Charisma modifier.

By spending 1 point from her keen pool as an immediate action when she takes a full attack action, the pale mantis assassin can make one additional melee attack at her highest attack bonus. This bonus attack stacks with those from haste and similar effects.
If the pale mantis assassin is wielding two sawtooth sabers, she can use the extra attack when she makes an attack, charge, coup de grace, or opportunity attack, but the extra attack must be with the weapon she did not use for her regular attack.

A pale mantis assassin gains additional powers that consume points from her keen pool as she gains levels.
The keen pool is replenished when the pale mantis assassin begins her adventuring day.

Prayer Attack (Su)

At 4th level, a pale mantis assassin learns her signature assassination style. To initiate a prayer attack, she holds her sawtooth saber(s) out, point down, weaves the blade in the air, and expends a point from her keen pool. She must be within 30 feet of and visible to her victim. Beginning a prayer attack is a standard action, and causes her victim to be fascinated by her unless the target makes a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the pale mantis assassin’s class level + her Charisma modifier—if she’s wielding two sawtooth sabers, this DC gains a +2 bonus). She can maintain the fascination effect by concentrating. The victim can attempt a new save to escape fascination each time a threat (other than the fascinating assassin) appears. At any point after 3 rounds, the assassin may make a coup de grace attack against the target, provided the target is still fascinated. Activating or concentrating on maintaining a prayer attack does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Spells

Table: Pale Mantis Assassin Spells Known

Level

Spells Known

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

1st

—

—

—

—

2nd

—

—

—

—

3rd

—

—

—

—

4th

2

—

—

—

5th

3

—

—

—

6th

4

—

—

—

7th

4

2

—

—

8th

4

3

—

—

9th

5

4

—

—

10th

5

4

2

—

11th

5

4

3

—

12th

6

5

4

—

13th

6

5

4

2

14th

6

5

4

3

15th

6

6

5

4

16th

6

6

5

4

17th

6

6

5

4

18th

6

6

6

5

19th

6

6

6

5

20th

6

6

6

5

Beginning at 4th level, a pale mantis assassin gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, but is limited to illusion and transmutation spells. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. To cast a spell, a pale mantis assassin must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the spell’s level. Her bonus spells are based on Charisma, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + the spell level + the caster’s Charisma modifier (if any).

In addition to sorcerer/wizard spells from the schools of illusion and transmutation, the pale mantis assassin adds the following spells to her spell list at the indicated spell levels. She must learn these spells in the normal manner.

obscuring mist, true strike.

darkness, fog cloud, see invisibility, summon swarm.

clairaudience/clairvoyance, hold person.

dimension door, modify memory.

Her selection of spells is extremely limited—at each pale mantis level, she gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Pale mantis Assassin Spells Known. At 7th, 13th, 16th, and 19th level, she can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows, provided the new spell is of the same level as the one she is replacing.

A pale mantis assassin only ever learns spells up to level 4, and cannot learn cantrips (level zero spells). Sorcerer/wizard illusion and transmutation spells of level zero or of level 5 or higher are not on the pale mantis assassin's spell list.

Through 3rd level, a pale mantis assassin has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her class level – 3.

Trapfinding

At 4th level, pale mantis assassin adds 1/2 her level on Perception checks to locate traps and on Disable Device checks. A pale mantis assassin can use Disable Device to disarm magic traps.

Track Mark (Ex)

At 4th level, whenever the pale mantis assassin is following the tracks of her mark (see study mark, above), a pale mantis assassin can take 10 on her Survival skill checks and can make Survival checks to track while moving at normal speed without penalty. In addition, she gains a +2 insight bonus on attack rolls made against her mark.

Pale Shroud (Su)

At 6th level, a pale mantis assassin gains the ability to create a veil of pale mist as a move action that expends one point from her keen pool. The pale shroud persists for 1 round per class level. It grants a +1 dodge bonus to AC and fast healing equal to her Charisma bonus (minimum of fast healing 1). This mist cannot be dissipated by wind. If she is slain while this ability is active, she can choose whether to remain corporeal or to disintegrate into a cloud of pale mist that leaves behind only her gear in order to deprive her enemies of access to her remains.

Mantis Form (Su)

At 8th level, a pale mantis assassin may transform into a pale giant praying mantis as a standard action by expending one point from her keen pool, as if using vermin shape II (caster level equals her class level). In addition to the normal adjustments to Strength, Dexterity, and natural armor provided by this spell effect, she gains the giant mantis’s darkvision 60 feet, grab, lunge, mandibles, and sudden strike extraordinary abilities, but not its immunity to mind-affecting effects or its racial modifiers to Perception or Stealth. If she wields a magical sawtooth saber in her hand(s) when she transforms, the magical enhancements for that weapon apply to her corresponding claw attack—if she wields two of them, then the weapons each apply to a different claw attack.

At 14th level, her claw attacks inflict 1d6 bleed on a hit. She also gains damage reduction 5/good while in this form.

At 20th level, whenever she uses her mandibles to attack, she inflicts 1 negative level. Each negative level inflicted in this manner grants the pale mantis assassin 5 temporary hit points that last for 1 hour —these temporary hit points stack with themselves, but not with other temporary hit points. The save DC to remove these negative levels is equal to 20 + the pale mantis assassin’s Charisma modifier. In addition, her damage reduction increases to 10/good while in this form.

Summon Mantis (Sp)

At 11th level, as a standard action that costs a keen point, a pale mantis assassin may summon an advanced fiendish giant mantis, 1d3 fiendish giant mantises, or 1d4+1 giant mantises, as if using summon monster V. She can mentally direct the actions of these summoned vermin as a free action. All mantises summoned by this spell-like ability are pale as bone.

At level 14, using this ability becomes a swift action. At level 17, it becomes a free action.

Fading (Su)

At 12th level the pale mantis assassin can become ethereal on her own turn or when she is attacked or forced to make a saving throw. This is an immediate action that consumes a point from the mantis assassin's keen pool. She must choose to activate this ability before the weapon’s attack roll or the spell’s effects are adjudicated. This works as a blink spell until the beginning of the mantis assassin's next turn, affecting both her attacks, defenses, and movement.

Mantis Dream (Sp)

At 12th level, the pale mantis assassins begins to have visionary dreams about her marks when she sleeps. If she has a mark (see the study mark ability) she will dream about this mark. This functions as dream scan once per day when the pale mantis assassin sleeps, with a caster level equal to her class level and a save DC of 16 + her Charisma modifier. If she does not have a mark, she might receive a new mark from her patron. She can accept such a mark for herself or order others under her command to take on the new mark.

Resurrection Sense (Su)

At 16th level, a pale mantis assassin senses if a creature she has slain within the last ten years has been restored to life or been turned into an intelligent undead creature, as long as they are both on the same plane.

Keen Escape (Ex)

At 18th level, the pale mantis assassin attains more importance in the eyes of her patron. When she kills her mark (see study mark), she recovers all points of her keen pool. Cult doctrine interprets this to mean the mantis should expend her full power to slay the mark, then the patron gives her new power to secure her own escape.

Mantis Doom (Sp)

At 18th level, a pale mantis assassin may use creeping doom (caster level equals class level, save DC is 17 + the pale mantis assassin's Charisma modifier) as a spell-like ability at the cost of one point from her keen pool. This version of the spell summons swarms of venomous praying mantises, but the effects are otherwise the same as the spell. The assassin herself is immune to all effects of these swarms.

Improved Track Mark (Ex)

At 19th level, the pale mantis assassin’s ability to hunt her mark improves. She can now take 20 while using Survival to track her mark, and can track while moving at normal speed without penalty. Her insight bonus to attack her mark increases to +4, and all critical threats against her mark are automatically confirmed.

Sawtooth Saber Mastery (Ex)

At 20th level, any attack a pale mantis assassin makes with a sawtooth saber has a threat range of 18-20 and have their damage multiplier increased to ×3. This stacks with other effects that improve threat range and critical hits. In addition, any sawtooth saber she wields cannot be disarmed.

Table: Pale Mantis Assassin

ClassLevel

Base AttackBonus

FortSave

RefSave

WillSave

Special

Spells per Day

1

2

3

4

1st

+0

+0

+2

+0

Saber finesse, sneak attack +1d6, studied target +1

—

—

—

—

2nd

+1

+0

+3

+0

Study mark, style feat

—

—

—

—

3rd

+2

+1

+3

+1

Keen pool, sneak attack +2d6, trapfinding

—

—

—

—

4th

+3

+1

+4

+1

Prayer attack, track mark

0

—

—

—

5th

+3

+1

+4

+1

Sneak attack +3d6, studied target +2

1

—

—

—

6th

+4

+2

+5

+2

Pale shroud, style feat

1

—

—

—

7th

+5

+2

+5

+2

Sneak attack +4d6, studied target (swift)

1

0

—

—

8th

+6/+1

+2

+6

+2

Mantis form

1

1

—

—

9th

+6/+1

+3

+6

+3

Sneak attack +5d6

2

1

—

—

10th

+7/+2

+3

+7

+3

Studied target +3, style feat

2

1

0

—

11th

+8/+3

+3

+7

+3

Sneak attack +6d6, summon mantis

2

1

1

—

12th

+9/+4

+4

+8

+4

Fading, mantis dream

2

2

1

—

13th

+9/+4

+4

+8

+4

Sneak attack +7d6

3

2

1

0

14th

+10/+5

+4

+9

+4

Mantis form (bleed), style feat, summon mantis (swift)

3

2

1

1

15th

+11/+6/+1

+5

+9

+5

Studied target +4, sneak attack +8d6

3

2

2

1

16th

+12/+7/+2

+5

+10

+5

Resurrection sense

3

3

2

1

17th

+12/+7/+2

+5

+10

+5

Sneak attack +9d6, summon mantis (free)

4

3

2

1

18th

+13/+8/+3

+6

+11

+6

Keen escape, style feat

4

3

2

2

19th

+14/+9/+4

+6

+11

+6

Improved track mark, sneak attack +10d6

4

3

3

2

20th

+15/+10/+5

+6

+12

+6

Mantis form (energy drain), sawtooth saber mastery, studied target +5

4

4

3

3

Favored Class Bonuses

Instead of receiving an additional skill rank or hit point whenever they gain a level in a favored class, some races have the option of choosing from a number of other bonuses, depending upon their favored classes. The following options are available to each listed race. Unless otherwise stated the bonus applies each time you select the listed favored class reward. All these choices are available from level 1, even if they enhance an ability you only gain at a higher level. A favored race bonus that helps you qualify for a certain class ability means you get that particular class ability at an earlier level.

Half-Orc: Gain a +1/2 bonus on critical hit confirmation rolls made sawtooth sabres. When the bonus reaches +5, the half-orc can continue to spend points, gaining a bonus on confirmation rolls with all proficient melee weapons. This bonus does not stack with those gained through Critical Focus and similar effects.

Strix: Add a +1 ft. to the range of the strix's darkvision. Always round this down to the nearest increment of 5 ft.

Tengu: Gain a +1/2 bonus on critical hit confirmation rolls made with a with a sawtooth saber (maximum bonus of +5). When the bonus reaches +5, the tengu can continue to spend points, gaining a bonus on confirmation rolls with all melee weapon listed under the tengu’s swordtrained ability. This bonus does not stack with those gained through Critical Focus and similar effects.

Tiefling: Add 1/3 d6 to sneak attack damage against creatures with the good subtype.

Vanara: Add +1 ft. to climb speed and +1/2 on Stealth checks when climbing. Always round the speed bonus down to the nearest increment of 5 ft.

Wayang: Add 3 ft. to the range of the wayang's darkvision. Always round this down to the nearest increment of 5 ft.

Xesa: Add +1/2 to Stealth checks against creatures with scent.

Zendiqi: Gain 1/4 additional daily use of the zendiqi's smell of the muhartik racial trait.

Zif: Add +1/2 ft. on climb speed and +1/2 to the zif’s Climb checks. The zif can climb absolutely smooth surfaces like a wall of force with a DC of 40. Always round the speed bonus down to the nearest increment of 5 ft.

Pale Mantis Ranger Archetype

Certain pale mantis operatives are less focused on assassination and more on pursuit. This is an archetype of the pale mantis assassin prestige archetype. The pale mantis ranger has all the pale mantis assassin's class features except as noted.

Ranger Base Attributes

Weapon Proficiency

The pale mantis ranger is proficient in all martial weapons, plus the hand crossbow and sawtooth saber.

Track (Ex)

At third level a pale mantis ranger adds half her class level to Survival skill checks made to follow tracks. This replaces trapfinding.

Spells

A pale mantis ranger casts spells using the ranger spell list. This otherwise works as the pale mantis assassin's spells ability.

Evasion (Ex)

When she reaches 9th level, a pale mantis ranger can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the pale mantis ranger is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless pale mantis ranger does not gain the benefit of evasion.

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